Swallow the frog

No, I am not talking about some French delicacy. If that’s your thing—enjoy! Today, I want to talk about motivation. For me, summers are slow. Dreadfully slow. My motivation to get up is near zero at times; and to tackle a project… well you can imagine. But I have adopted a “swallow the frog” mentality and it seems to be working for me!

Swallow the frog? In the most simple terms… do the most distasteful thing on your to-do list first. Get it out of the way, and chances are that the rest of your day will go better.

Do you have a client that called complaining about a recent trip and you have nothing good to report back? Make that call first thing in the morning and get it out of the way. There is no sense in postponing the inevitable; and with it gone, you will not feel the weight of the conversation all on your shoulders the rest of the day!

Perhaps your desk has been long overdue for a thorough cleaning. You know that a clear desk (like a clear mind they say) will lead to more productivity. But you’d rather be chasing Pokemon with Pokemon GO! Don’t — head into your office early and swallow that frog. You will feel an immediate sense of accomplishment and ready to take on the day. As a bonus — reward yourself with a hunt for Charizard later in the morning!

For me, once I have a sense of accomplishment, other activities tend to follow and I am much more productive. It may be something as simple as writing a blog post, scheduling an email broadcast, or writing some social media posts for the next month. But, once a frog is swallowed, I find that I am revved up and ready to take on the world.

Now, with this column out of the way… on to cataloguing those photos from my last group trip!